Children's high-tech wish list a boon for parents

Date: November 24 2012

Rachel Wells

WHEN children mail their Christmas wish lists to Santa this year - or perhaps they just Facebook him these days - tablets including the top-selling iPad and kid-friendly versions, such as the LeapPad, are expected to be among the most requested items.

A recent survey by Nielsen found 48 per cent of American children, aged six to 12, were hoping for an iPad this Christmas, while 30 per cent said they would ask for a tablet other than an iPad.

Australian retailers say demand for the gadgets will be just as strong here. With Christmas just a month away, they are already seeing a big spike in sales of toy tablets that look and feel like grown-up ones, but typically come in bright colours with child-friendly games and apps. Target said LeapFrog's LeapPad Explorer 2 and the VTech InnoTab were already among its best sellers.

Toys 'R' Us said its new Wi-Fi-enabled tablet, Meep, which hit stores last weekend, was also attracting interest. But the retailers say it is not just children driving the demand.

''I think there are a lot of parents out there who are trying to wrestle their iPads and iPhones back from their children, so that's also driving interest in this category,'' said DJ Aquilina, of Toys 'R' Us.

A Melbourne mother of two, Danielle Chapman, says she is frequently engaged in an iPad tug-of-war with her children, Yasmin, 6, and Seamus, 3.

This week they road-tested some of Australia's top-selling toy tablets, including the LeapPad 2 and the VTech InnoTab 2. ''They really enjoyed both of them,'' she said. ''They liked the games and really loved that they didn't have to share with mum and dad.''

She said the simple navigation and the fact they did not have internet access also meant they needed less supervision. While some products, including the Nabi 2 and Meep, are Wi-Fi enabled, they come with parental-controls.

Mr Aquilina said: ''A lot of parents like that their kids can still play games and interact and learn but can't freely surf the internet and get themselves into trouble.''

He said the child-friendly tablets were also appealing to many families because they were cheaper than such competitor products as the iPad.

The child pads start at $169 for products such as the LeapPad 2 and VTech InnoTab 2 and up to $199 for the Wi-Fi enabled Meep and Nabi 2.

This compares with the new iPad mini, from $369, and the iPad, from $399.

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